1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for relieving motion sickness. More particularly, the present invention is related to providing an individual with an array of video, audio, and white noise sensory signals so that the individual may use these signals to improve a sense of equilibrium.
2. Discussion of the Background
Essentially, motion sickness occurs as a result of an unusual motion experience. When a person is unable to predict or anticipate this unusual motion, the person""s equilibrium may be effected. The phenomenon of motion sickness may be derived from a principle researched by Dr. David Winters, a retired University of Waterloo professor, and which is referred to as xe2x80x9cThe Principle of Indeterminacy.xe2x80x9d
The principle of indeterminacy describes a human""s natural ability to identify changes in the neuromuscular skeletal system and to adapt to a new optimum motion. For example, if a prosthetic leg does not offer comparable function, an amputee will favor the remaining leg. Thus, the residual limb becomes weaker and the remaining leg becomes stronger. The option to utilize the prosthesis or the natural leg represents a conflict, i.e., between walking in a conventional symmetrical manner or favoring the natural leg. The person, without conscious volition, chooses favoring the natural side when the choice is perceived by the humans body as optimal. Currently, it is not known for certain which senses are most influential in making this choice. However, it is likely that pain and comfort, proprioceptive, vestibular, and ocular inputs affect this choice.
Similarly, motion sickness results from a conflict between these vestibular, ocular and proprioceptive inputs. For example, conventional wisdom among charter boat operators is that charter boat captains do not get seasick, unless they spend a significant amount of time below deck, whereas captains of cruise ships are known to be somewhat more susceptible to motion sickness. This is because a charter boat captain usually sits high in the cabin, a position from where he can observe quite clearly what the relatively small charter boat is about to experience. Thus, he has accurate visual data which reconciles a conflict between the vestibular, ocular, and proprioceptive inputs. On the contrary, the captain of a large cruise ship cannot see what is taking place immediately in front of the ship""s bow. Thus, a conflict between the vestibular, ocular, and proprioceptive data is not resolved.
Motion sickness is very costly for many industries. For example, the airline industry loses millions of dollars per year from passengers who are unwilling to travel because they experience motion sickness. The same can be said for cruise ships. In addition, if a person experiences motion sickness while operating a dangerous vehicle, injury or even a loss of life may occur.
Thus, a need for a device which relieves motion sickness will have a significant impact on society. One proposed motion sickness device is that described in Ferguson (U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,196). Ferguson discloses positioning an array of sound emitters at the sides of an enclosure and varying the sound levels from selected emitters in response to changes in the enclosure""s movement. To an individual, the sound source is not perceived as rolling with the vehicle but rather is inertially stable while the vehicle rolls relative to the sound source. That is, Ferguson is directed to creating an artificial sound horizon which is acoustically perceivable to the individual and continuously maintaining the sound horizon substantially positionally stationary with reference to a fixed horizon of the enclosure.
However, one problem with Ferguson is that an artificial sound horizon is created. This artificial sound horizon (i.e., between sound emitters at opposite sides of the enclosure) may cause an individual to experience further motion sickness because a conflict is created between the vestibular, ocular, and proprioceptive inputs and the artificial sound horizon. Further, another problem with Ferguson is that an array of sound emitters (e.g., speakers) placed at specific locations chosen in accordance with a predicted motion of the enclosure are required. That is, the speakers are required to be located in opposite sides of the enclosure.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus and method for relieving motion sickness.
Another object of the present invention is to relieve motion sickness by presenting a user with any one of an audio signal, a video signal, a white noise signal, or combinations thereof which have a variation in spectral emphasis in proportion to a detected motion of an object, so that the user may resolve a conflict between vestibular, ocular, and proprioceptive inputs.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device for assisting an individual which suffers from a severe vestibular imbalance by presenting this individual with audio and white noise sensory signals corresponding to a detected motion of the individual.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a device for assisting a blind individual by presenting this individual with audio and white noise signals, along with a proximity sensory signals to assist the individual in determining their relative position to other objects.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an apparatus which includes a sensor which detects a motion of an object and a sensory converter which converts the detected motion to corresponding sensory signals. The sensory signals have a variation in a spectral emphasis in proportion to the detected motion. In addition, the sensory signals are presented to a user by using, for example, a transmitter and receiver. Thus, the user receives the sensory signals and is able to resolve a conflict between vestibular, ocular, and proprioceptive inputs via the principle of indeterminancy. The sensory signals may be any one of audio, white noise or video signals. In the case of audio signals, the variation in spectral emphasis includes varying a frequency of, for example, a first signal within a first predetermined range around a first center frequency in proportion to a detected pitching motion of the object. For the case of white noise signals, the variation in spectral emphasis includes varying, for example, a first frequency range of a the white noise signals in proportion to a detected pitching motion of the object. Finally, for the case of video signals, the variation in spectral emphasis includes varying the red, green, and blue colors used in a conventional video display. These colors are altered in proportion to the detected motion of the object.